The city of Fountain has a vision for a new greenway that could run along the railroad on the southern end of town and commemorate the site of a historic train explosion. 

Train cars broke loose in Colorado Springs during May 1888 and crashed into freight cars in Fountain, including one filled with explosives that caught fire. The blast from those explosives created a huge pit, 10 feet deep and 30 feet across, according to a site run by The Fountain History Ladies, a group that used historic newspaper reports to compile historic information. The explosion killed three people, injured many others and badly damaged numerous properties, including a church and a grocery store, the reports said. 

Fountain City Councilwoman and local historian Tamara Estes would like to see the site commemorated to help honor those who came before and educate residents about the event. 

“The blast was a very significant event in Fountain history. … It destroyed most of our town when it happened,” Estes said. 

The site of “the blast” between Ohio and Illinois avenues is envisioned as the first phase of a new linear greenway along the railroad, said Kimberly Bailey, the director of the Fountain Urban Renewal Authority during a recent town meeting.

When complete, the greenway could stretch from Aga Park to Indiana Avenue, she said. It is a long-term project that could provide a safe pedestrian corridor and greenspace with new parking, restrooms and space for food trucks. In addition to the blast site, it could also draw attention to a livery stable from 1893 along Missouri Avenue that is only one of two buildings on the National Historic Register in town. The stable was formerly part of a hotel, Estes said. 

Once complete, the linear greenway, would be “a very safe promenade” and part of a one-mile bike loop, Bailey’s presentation showed. The bike loop is a priority in the town’s park plan, she said. 

The greenway would require fencing to separate the railroad from public spaces and that would be an important safety step as well, she said. Bailey said she has seen children walking along the railroad because it is “that is the path of easiest approach,” but that needs to end, she said. 

The corridor is close to the Fountain Middle School and Aragon Elementary and once improved would be a safe route to schools, she said. A new bridge from the east side to the west side of the tracks could provide access to the middle school, she said. 

The project will benefit from the closure of Illinois Avenue, which will no longer cross the railroad. The closure will connect the first and second phases of the project. The city is closing Illinois as part of its ongoing Indiana Road project. 

The second phase of the project could dove-tail with the existing Peaks N Pines Brewery and provide lawn and gravel space to the south, the map shows. 

The project will require grant funding and the city needs to put the plans for the greenway into its guiding planning documents to help qualify, Bailey said. 

The town’s plans reflect the findings of a recent city survey focused on the area. Residents said they want passive space for activities, such as walking and kicking a soccer ball, Bailey said. 

The city of Fountain is planning for a long linear greenway between Aga Park and Indiana Avenue that would run along the railroad as depicted on this map. Courtesy city of Fountain 

City of Fountain